Fishing rod rack



Pacemed Nov. s, 1970 v l 3537595 V nvV/vrofi MARTIN H. MATHISEN ATTORNE Y United States Patent [72] lnventor Martin H. Matllisen 2,516,965 8/ 1950 Dresser 21 l/60 Sun Valley, California 2,580,625 1/1952 Waltz 211/86 [21] Appl. No. 790,060 2,591,805 4/ 1952 Gossett 21l/60X [22] Filed Jan. 9,1969 3,140,132 7/1964 Jackson 21 1/49X [45] Patented Nov. 3, 1970 i 3,291,427 12/1966 l-iutchings 211/60X [73] I Assignee Ear-Lift Spring Corporation 3,421,632 1/1969 Wood 21 1 /60 sun Valley' c'momh Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, J r.

Anomey-Everett G. Clements a eorporatlon of California [54] FISHING ROD RACK' 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs. V

[sz] U.s. cl. 211760 [51] lnt. PI A47f 7/00 [50] Field of Search 211/68, `60(S), 60(G), 60, 67, 49(D); 248/37.3, 37.6

[56] References Clted i UNITED STATES PATENTS 896,798 8/ 1908 Brown 211/60 21 1/60 2,413,297 12/1946 Deckert i.

ABSTRACT: A fishing rod or the like securing and supporting rack composed of separate relatively rigid stripiike members adapted to be secured to a Vertical or horizontal wa11 or ceiling in relatively spaced laterally disposed' relationship, each stripiike member having struek therefrom a longitudinai aligned series of spaced open ended hooks, and an elongated depressible bar of resilient materiai of a height substantially equai to said hooks secured to said strip member and extending between adjacent hooks and closing one iongitudinal side thereof.

FisiiiNc Ron itAcic DiscLosURs oF iNvsNTioN The invention relates to a mounting and supporting device for long, valued rodlike devices such as fishing rods, golf sticks and the like that at best are usually used for special or specific 1 purposes and occasions and therefore should be properly kept until such occasions arise which may be for periods of months. It is essential therefore that'such devices as fishing rods which are especially designed for specific purposes be protected when stored against warping or other damage both to the functional elements of the rods as well as the surface finishing of the rod itself, which, if left propped against a wall or laid in the trunk of a car might warp or receive such surface damages as would alter or destroy its intended usefullness and value.

lt is the object of this invention therefore to provide a device of this character having means which will be ready at all times to receive and yieldably support a plurality of rods and be self adjustablefor the sizes thereof at each contacting point. That said device be sectional for desired or required mounting and support of rods as well as adaptable to required mounting on wall or ceiling surfaces, whereby rod-type devices may be flexibly gripped at proper points therealong and supported for long periods of time' without alteration of the rods or the purposes for which they were originally designed, no matter if they must be mounted in either vertical or horizontal positions.

As the specification proceeds with the above and even further objects and advantages in view, other objects may become apparent to those skilled in the art, essentially in view of the construction and arrangement of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FlG. l is a prospective view of one of the unitary elements of the device, which for convenience and illustration is shown as it would appear when mounted with others on a Vertical or horizontal wall as in F lG. 2;

F lG. 2 therefore shows a set of three such devices comprising the cooperating elements thereof for adequately yet yieldably holding both ends and a central part of a fishing or other rod on the combined device' for proper support thereof;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3--3 of FIGJ;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view on the scale of FlG. 3 but looking down thereon with a rod in section and gripped between the resilient material of the bar and an open ended hook of the strip; and

FlG. 5 is a detail view of one of the hook members showing the rcinforced shape thereof.

Referring now to the drawing in which the base portion 5 is preferably divided into three or more like strps of suitable rigid material such as metal or plastic indicated as 5, from which and adjacent o'ne longitudinal edge thereof is struck up resilient material. To add strength to these spaced bent hooked strips 6 they may be transversely curved or grooved as at 8. ln FIG. 4, however, the rounded inner surface 15 of a hook 7 ls shown as held in firm engagement with the round specially finished surface of one of the fishing rods 9 by the adjacent depressed portion of the bar 11 of resilient material such as polyfoam sponge or rubber material 12 as shown in FIG. 4. As a further means to guard against marring the surface finish of a supported rod the Contacting surface of hooks may be covered or coated with a soft or resilient material 16. The elongated bar 11 of resilient material 12 is substantially rectangular in cross section and is adhesively secured at 13 to the upper surface of the rigid base strip 5 with its top surface disposed normally just above the adjacent bent over top ledge of the hooked shaped fingers 7 under which a portion of a fishing rod is firmly but yieldably held by the subjacent depressed and com ressed portion of the resilient material 12 of the bar ll. In F G. 2, several fishing rods are shown supported adjacent their centers and near both ends whereby the rods are properly held in straight condition by first forcing the held portions in againstfthe resilient material between adjacent hooks 7 after which each rod is merely moved laterally through the open side of the adjacent hook, after which it is securely held thereby. By thus dividing, placing and securing several of the strips of F IG. l on a Vertical or horizontal wall as shown in FlG. 2, the rods mounted as described will be safely supported against warping or other damage.

lclaim:

l. A fishing rod rack comprising a plurality of similar relatively rigid base strips each having adjacent a longitudinal edge thereof, a series of aligned spaced hook members, and an elongated barlike member of resilient material carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom adjacent one side of said hooks to a point adjacent the tops thereof and normally closing one side thereof.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the aligned spaced hook members are struck up from the material of the base.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein the hook members are transversely and longitudinally curved.

4. The structure of claim l in which the resilient material of the barlike member is a polyfoam sponge or rubber.

5. The structure of claim l in which the hook members are covered or coated with a soft resilient material.

6. The structure of claim 1 in which the aligned hook members are relatively spaced along one edge of each base strip, and a barlike member of resilient material is secured to each base strip to extend upwardly therefrom and norrnally close an open side of each hook and the space between adjacent hooks. 

